CPPE will be running Parkinson’s disease focal point workshops across England from October.

Parkinson’s is currently the second commonest neuro-degenerative condition in the UK.¹ While there are approximately 120,000-130,000 diagnosed cases, many more affected individuals may remain undiagnosed.² Medicines are critical to the management of Parkinson’s, so pharmacy professionals have an important role to play in supporting patients and carers.

In addition to medicines-related issues, pharmacy teams should remember that Parkinson’s affects all areas of patients’ and their carers’ lives. Community and primary care pharmacy teams should take a holistic view of the effect the condition has on patients and carers and be able to signpost them to local and national sources of help and information.

Learning points

The workshop considers:

• The effects of motor and nonmotor Parkinson’s symptoms on patients
• Treatment options available for people with Parkinson’s, potential side-effects and interactions with these medicines
• Supporting people with Parkinson’s to get the best from their medicines
• Signposting people living with Parkinson’s and their carers to useful sources of advice.

The workshop also helps pharmacy professionals to think about how they can translate their learning into changes in their practice that will benefit patients and carers. The CPPE’s focal point programmes provide short, clinically focused learning sessions that are relevant for pharmacy professionals working in primary care and in the community.

There are two types of learning event to choose between when using focal point units – learners can either attend a CPPE tutor-led workshop or they can learn as part of a CPPE learning community. To book onto a Parkinson’s disease focal point workshop near you or to find out more about learning communities, go to the CPPE website.

 

 

References

1. Parkinson’s prevalence in the United Kingdom. Parkinson’s UK. 2009
2. About Parkinson’s